Wunderkind Estevao enjoys 'perfect night'

With his family watching from the stands, teenage Chelsea sensation Estevao made a run through the right side of the area and sped past two Barcelona defenders, before firing a powerful angled shot into the net.

The beautiful strike gave Chelsea its second goal in a 3-0 win over the Spanish powerhouse in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"I don't really have any words to sum up how I am feeling," the 18-year-old Brazil forward said. "It was all very quick for me. I found some space and wiggled my way through. I hope I keep scoring for many more years."

Estevao was a constant threat to the Barcelona defense, and helped Chelsea dominate en route to its third win and a spot in the Champions League table's top eight.

"It really was the perfect night," Estevao said. " (My goal) was such a special moment for me in my career. From the moment I arrived here, I felt such a connection with the fans. I'm just so happy I could score for them and make them happy."

After his goal, Estevao went toward the Chelsea fans and pointed to the club's crest on his shirt.

"Estevao had a very good game, not only for the goal, but for the way he helped a lot in the way we were pressing," Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said.

Liam Delap, Pedro Neto and Marc Cucurella, the man of the match, also played well, leading the English club to victory and fifth place in the standings.

Since arriving from Brazilian club Palmeiras this summer, Estevao has quickly established himself as one of Chelsea's most dangerous weapons and is already a fan favorite.

Some in Spain have dubbed him the Brazilian Lamine Yamal, after the teenage Barcelona and Spain star who struggled to do much on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge.

Cucurella joked that Estevao "finally scored on his right foot".

"In training he always misses with his right, but today, in a big moment, he was able to score," Cucurella said.

"He's really young and we need to help him, but he showed that he's a special player."

Estevao had scored three goals in his last three matches with club and country. He found the net in Brazil's friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia during the recent international break.

Messi hype

Maresca, however, played down comparisons between Estevao and anyone else after the Chelsea's wunderkind's spectacular solo goal.

Maresca was asked whether Estevao's strike reminded him of Argentina and Barcelona great Lionel Messi, but he said instead it was like a goal Estevao had scored for Palmeiras against Chelsea at July's Club World Cup in the United States.

Maresca sought to ease the pressure on his young player, saying he needed to "relax" and enjoy his soccer.

"Him, Lamine, they are so young, at 18, that if you start to talk about Messi, (Cristiano) Ronaldo, I think it's too much pressure for young boys like them.

"At 18, they need to enjoy; they need to arrive at the training ground, happy. But, when you start to compare them with Messi or with Ronaldo, I think it's too much for them."

Estevao, serenaded by Chelsea's supporters on Tuesday, said it was the "best moment" of his career so far.

"I don't really have any words to sum up how I'm feeling right now," he told Amazon Prime. "I'm just grateful to God for everything that has happened for me."

Maresca said he would not be under added pressure to play Estevao, despite his stunning form.

"Tonight, in probably the most difficult game of the season, we decided to play with Estevao," he said.

"So, I'm not the sort of manager who doesn't allow players to get minutes. It's just the game plan. The game plan always dictates the starting lineup."

Barca's woes continue

It was the second loss in five league-phase matches for Barcelona, and its fourth loss in its last 10 matches across all competitions.

It was the second Champions League match in a row in which it conceded three goals.

The Catalan club was coming off a 3-3 draw at Club Brugge, where defensive mistakes also proved costly.

"Chelsea was putting us under pressure and we didn't adjust well," Barcelona defender Eric Garcia said.

"We had to run after the ball the whole time. We need to be more competitive in these types of matches. The duels, second balls ...if you don't make yourself strong, it's impossible to win."

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick tried desperately to salvage something from the ashes of this latest setback.

"We started well and had a good chance to score the first goal, and I saw some positive things," he said.

"We need to be bit more dynamic in one v one situations, we have to fight a little bit more.

"But, we have nine points we can win from three games and we just have to be positive about this.

" (Next time) you will see a different Barcelona."

Agencies